Show and Tell for Adults…
Show and Tell for Adults ~ Finding Your Inner Child's Voice
Pure Discovery
Visualize yourself as a happy, excited child sharing useful information before stepping on stage. Children run up with "Look what I found! Guess what I learned!"—no worry about looking professional, just pure need to share something cool they discovered.
We always lean in when children are that excited. Their enthusiasm is magnetic. Nobody says "that child is being unprofessional" when excitedly explaining how butterflies work. We're delighted by their delight.
Pre-Ego Enthusiasm
Children don't apologize for excitement. No "This might be boring but..." or "I'm not an expert but..." They launch with total confidence that their discovery is amazing. "I learned this yesterday and now I'm the world's foremost authority and you need to know immediately!"
This confidence comes from genuine excitement rather than credentials. They believe it's worth sharing because THEY find it fascinating. That's enough.
Body Language of Wonder
Visualizing yourself as that excited child changes physicality. Adults get stiff, formal, closed. Children about to share something exciting bounce, lean forward, open up. Every part commits to sharing.
Their eye contact says "are you seeing this cool thing?"—conspiratorial excitement like you're discovering something amazing together. Not teacher-student dynamic but collaborative wonder.
Straight to Amazing
Kids fixate on specific, weird details: "The butterfly's tongue is like a STRAW and it ROLLS UP!" Adults give taxonomy; kids go straight to the amazing bit.
What if all presentations went straight to what made you fall in love with the idea? The thing that made YOUR inner child go "whoa!" That's your unique journey—what excites YOU about this insight might be totally different from others.
Sharing Circle Not Proving Ground
When stepping on stage, think "Wait till they hear this cool thing!" not "I have to prove I deserve to be here." The stage becomes sharing circle instead of proving ground. Everyone's invited to be amazed WITH you, not impressed BY you.
The visualization—yourself as happy, excited child—becomes reset button before speaking. Reminds you why you wanted to share before ego and fear complicated things. Back to pure impulse: "I learned something wonderful and want you to know too."
Discovery Not Expertise
Before speaking, find the child who first discovered this thing. Remember their excitement. Speak from that place—from discovery not expertise, from wonder not wisdom. Though wonder IS wisdom—the kind that stays curious and wants everyone to see the cool rock it found.
Your cool rock is your unique insight from your unique journey. When you share it like a happy child, everyone wants to see your rock.
